Merging with Two Data Sources

Summary: Setting up a Word mail merge to combine a data source with a merge document is easy. But what if you want to use two data sources? Well, depending on what you want to do, you may be out of luck. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

Minh asked if there is a way to do a merge of two data sources with a single merge document? Word allows you to merge a single data source with a merge document, but he couldn't find a way to merge more than one data source.

The reason you can't find the option is that it doesn't exist. Word doesn't provide a facility for multiple data sources. You can, however, do two separate merges, changing the data source between the two passes. Provided that the merge fields are the same in both data sources, you would end up with two merged documents created from each pass. You could then combine the two documents together via a simple copy and paste.

If you are looking for a way to include different merge fields from each of the different data sources, there is no way to accomplish that—at least that we've been able to find.

Tip #3337 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Merging with Two Data Sources